Witch Scene

Uncanny and mysterious phenomena occur repeatedly in Paul Klee’s pictures. Besides the depiction of mythological fable beings and gods, Klee created numerous works with wind, fire, water and earth spirits. These mediators between the real world and the other world also appear occasionally in the form of goblins, witches, and demons. Klee created his figures from the stories of ancient mythology, legends, and the fairy world, but portrayed them as mischievous, disobedient, cheerful creatures in human form. Many of the beings he encountered were molded into creatures of his own through fantastic metamorphosis. Equally ironical was his treatment of spiritistic or occultist manifestations, which at the beginning of the 20th century in Munich enjoyed a boom. The city was not only the center of Occultist Research in Germany but also the home of Rudolf Steiner, who in numerous lectures propagated the Theory of Theosophy and thereby influenced many modern artists. Klee, however, kept his distance from Theosophy. His attitude towards institutional religion was also marked by scepsis and distance. On the other hand and also in the face of his serious illness, he was intensely preoccupied with death and the next world.